Miss Grangers Murder Mysteries (I)
by The-JOY-of-Writing
Summary: Follow Miss Granger through adventure, mystery and romance as she fights the ideas of social class and sexism, through a world recovering near 100 years after the 2020 disaster. With tech and beliefs resemble that of the 1920's. Please, read, review, favourite, like,follow, share and all that thank you. And enjoy.


2020. The year everything changed. The earth stood proud and tall. The sounds of heartbeats emanating from everywhere. Women and men, stood as equals together. Then it happened. A split second and everything changed. No one knows what really happened just that it was devastating. Volcanoes erupted, earthquakes shook the land, tsunamis terrorised the seas. The damage was devastating many people died. Much was destroyed including a great deal of technology and buildings.

As the years went by technology began to develop again into what resembled the technology of the 1920's. Unfortunately, as did the unequal divide of superiority between men and women. Women began to be treated as second class citizens again. Men believed them to be too delicate and fragile after the Global Disaster. Women were now expected to stay at home and raise the children of whatever man the married. Those girls born illegitimate or whom their parents could no longer care for or did not want her they would give them to the convent houses. There they would be forced to labour over the laundry of others, working till the day they die for nothing.

Education was also not an option for women; many of them were bred and raised to be perfect wives, only learning the basics of the written language. Only the men went on to further their education, learning the complexities of a variety of subjects.

Our story is one of a woman who changes that.

"Up! Up!" Sister Perpetua crowed walking up and down the long dorm room for girls aged nineteen to twenty years of age. "For the Lord girls we thank him for another day so we may work and wash away all our sins". She stopped at the end of the room and stood at the foot of the bed belonging to a girl with frizzy brown hair. She tapped her foot impatiently.

"ADRIANNA, on your feet girl, time to wash away your sins through hard rigorous work".

"Yes sister" Came from under the sheets.

"Breakfast in 10 minutes girls" Sister huffed and made her way out of the room, her heels clicking on the wooden flooring. The girl in the bed at the end huffed and sat up, rubbing sleep from her chocolate eyes.

"And my name is Hermione not Adrianna" She huffed, "Hermione Jean Granger". She quickly pulled her night gown over her head and dragged on her standard work dress, a flimsy thing made of cheap fabric and hanging on her slim frame loosely, it had originally belonged to a heavily pregnant woman. She glanced down at her feet as she slipped her shoes on and her eyes widened as she saw the corner of her most recent reading material sticking out from under her bed. She quickly shoved it under her bed, and then looked up at the sound of a giggle.

"Cranky this morning are we?" The red head next to her bed laughed.

"Oh shush Ginny" Hermione smiled as all the girls lined up to be lead down to the food hall.

"You spent the night reading again didn't you" Ginny whispered as they began walking down the halls of the convent.

"It was fascinating; the book explained how to make ethanoic acid" Hermione explained silently. Ginny cocked her head to the side. "Vinegar" Hermione dumbed down. Ginny nodded and they fell silent as they all stood for morning prayer. Clasping their hands together they recited morning prayer.

"Hermione you have to be careful, they'll catch you out eventually" Ginny mumbled. Hermione sighed and followed Ginny's lead digging into the sawdust like breakfast. Her gag reflex had long since disappeared, not shortly after her bastard of a father left her here. Her mother had just died of an unknown disease and her father had blamed her for it saying that she was the spawn of Satan. Two days after he dropped her off at the convent, and she's never seen him since. That was when she was only ten years old.

"Hey did you hear?" Tally whispered nudging Hermione's shoulder.

"No, what?" Ginny looked up from her meal and at them with curiosity.

"Myrtle's back" Tally said. Hermione dropped her spoon and looked at Tally in surprise, Ginny the mirror image of her.

"Are you serious?" Ginny hissed silently as one of the nuns walked past them on her way to the nuns table at the head of the room.

"Yes, she came back last night".

"But, why on earth would she do that? I mean she got the chance to get out of here and now she's back?" Hermione mumbled, feeling slightly angry. Myrtle was one of the occasional lucky ones, although she was only sixteen, she had been hand chosen to be a cleaning maid in a posh hotel that had just opened up. She had been given excellent board, nice clothes and a good wage, as opposed to the convent where the rooms all had a terrible draft, all the clothes given to the girls were old, worn and holey, and the none of the girls bar the nuns received any semblance of a wage.

"It's true, apparently their keeping her in the dark room, because, seemingly she came back last night in the early hours and they didn't want to wake the rest of us because she was balling her eyes out. Any way she's probably still in there" Tally said before going back to her oatmeal. Ginny and Hermione looked at each other and quickly finished their breakfast before standing up and making their way to the nuns table. Sister Agnes looked up from her hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, tomatoes and sausages, as the two stopped in front of the table.

"Yes girls?" Sister Agnes questioned.

"Sorry to disturb you Sister's but we are finished breakfast and have done our morning prayer and we would like to use the toilet before we start work so that we can get more work done, may we be excused?" Hermione asked sweetly not making eye contact with the nuns.

"Yes you may, but straight to work when you're finished".

"Yes Sister, thank you very much" they both smiled and walked out of the hall. Hermione immediately veered left whilst Ginny veered right, they both stopped and looked at each other.

"Where are you going?" They both questioned simultaneously.

"I'm going to find Myrtle" Hermione said as if it was obvious.

"I'm heading back to bed" Ginny mumbled shyly. Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed Ginny's hand and began dragging her in the direction of the black room. They both walked outside into the courtyard, where all the linens were hung, drying.

They both stopped in front of an old weather worn door in the far corner of the courtyard. The old rusted lock hanging on by a single screw swayed unsteadily. Hermione raised her hand and knocked on the door. No answer.

"Stay and keep watch" Hermione told Ginny sternly.

"Gladly". Hermione pushed the door open gently. As she stepped into the room she had to duck, in order to miss the old wooden leg being swung towards her head. She straightened up and caught the leg before Myrtle had a chance to swing it at her again. It was then Hermione noticed Myrtle's appearance. Bloodshot and swollen eyes, pale sickly skin and worst of all yellowing patches on her arms, the tell-tale sign of deep healing bruises. Myrtle dropped the piece of wood and launched herself at Hermione gripping her like she was a life line.

"Myrtle what happened?" Hermione questioned leading her over to the mouldy bed in the corner of the room. She rubbed Myrtle's back soothingly as the younger girl continued to cry into her shoulder. "Myrtle tell me, you can trust me".

"Pl…please…he…he wants…to…kill…m…me" She sobbed out. Hermione's hand froze. "Please…hel…help me."

"Why does who want to kill you Myrtle?" Hermione questioned quietly.

"Be…because…I…no…give…what…him…want". Hermione felt slightly sick at this revelation.

"Did he give you those bruises?" Myrtle nodded into her shoulder and hugged Hermione even closer. "Myrtle, can you tell me who's after you?" A shake.

"Was it the man that hired you?" A shake.

"Did he work with you?" Another shake.

"Did he work with your boss?". This time there was a muffled response. Hermione gently eased Myrtle off her shoulder.

"What was that?" She questioned.

"Maybe" Myrtle sniffled. Hermione tilted her head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"He always wore a suit and…and he could get ou… our rooms" She answered shakily. Hermione was about to ask her another question when Ginny popped her head in.

"Hermione breakfast is over, everyone is starting to go to their stations". Hermione nodded and went to get up but Myrtle still held a death grip on her.

"Shh, it's ok nothing is going to happen to you, I promise, but I need to go, I promise I'll come by before bed okay?" Hermione whispered gently. Myrtle nodded and begrudgingly released her hold. Hermione and Ginny immediately closed the door and sprinted across the courtyard and into the laundrette room. They ran to their sinks, now used to the rancid smell of the fumes and made it look like they had been working there for a while, as the other girls filed in. Sister Mary nodded at them approvingly.

"See girls, these two are the perfect example of what you should be, eager to work and wash away all of your unholy ways".

Hermione and Ginny each shared a grim before getting back to work. Hermione looked out the window and paused thinking she saw something grey. Then shrugged it off, going back to washing the white and yellow dress she held in her hands, the yellow patches reminding her of the bruises she had seen on Myrtle's arms.


End file.
